Pendleton follows Hoy out of the Commonwealth Games

Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton is to follow Sir Chris Hoy’s lead and miss the Commonwealth Games in Delhi to focus on October's European Championships.

Hoy reluctantly pulled out of the Games on Friday because the European Championships count as a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics, which remains the main focus for both athletes.

Pendleton told the BBC, "It's a no-brainer; points for Olympics qualification are on offer. Unfortunately you are not going to jeopardise going to the London Olympics, so we have to go to the Europeans.

"It's really unfortunate we can't do both competitions and support the Commonwealth Games."

British cycling chief Dave Brailsford believes other cyclists will continue to prioritise those events offering qualification points for the Olympic Games.

"Those who have clear Olympic ambitions have to prioritise: is it the Commonwealth Games or is it Olympic points and those who want to compete in the home Games in London will 100% go for the Olympic points," he told BBC 5 Live.

"Their thinking is that they would like to get as many points on the board as early as possible. They don't want to end up running into the 2012 Games looking at preparation periods being compromised by having to chase points to qualify.

"It's a very tough decision but ultimately they have gone for the Olympic qualification points considering that is what their careers are based around."